Sooners fall to Texas Tech in WCWS semifinals; OU denied 5th straight title

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Sooners, who had won the last four consecutive Women’s College World Series, were denied a chance at a fifth straight national title with a 3-2 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the national semifinals Monday night at Devon Field at Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Sooners, who opened things in the 2025 WCWS in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 walk-off win over Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, lost 4-2 on Saturday to archrival Texas, but they staved off elimination with a 4-1 win on Sunday to reach the national semifinals.

The Sooners ended the season at 52-9.

In the national semifinals, Texas Tech’s Lauren Allred’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Mihyia Davis, who led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double that just went over the outstretched glove of OU left fielder Kasidi Pickering, from third base to break a 2-all tie.

Down to their last strike, the Sooners tied the game at 2-all thanks to an unlikely hero as Abigale Dayton hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning.

A crowd of 10,658 at Devon Park was treated to a showdown between All-American pitchers NiJaree Canady (33-5) of Texas Tech and OU’s Sam Landry (256).

Canady allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked two while going the distance. Landry scattered six hits, struck out six and walked three in 6.2 innings.

In the elimination game win over Oregon, OU used three home runs to propel them to the win as senior first baseman Cydney Sanders homered twice and redshirt junior catcher Isabela Emerling added a solo shot to help the Sooners to their 52nd victory on the year.

Lefthander Kierston Deal started in the circle for OU, working 2.2 innings of one-run ball before Landry earned the win in relief.

In the loss to Texas, the Longhorns broke a 2-all tie with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Landry went the distance against Texas, allowing eight hits and three earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts. Solo home runs from the Longhorns, who beat Tennessee on Monday afternoon to set up an all-Lone Star State championship series which will begin tonight, in the fifth and sixth innings were the decisive plays.

Ella Parker and Gabbie Garcia both tallied two hit days, while Dayton singled in one. Pickering added OU’s other run batted in.

In the opening-round victory over Tennessee, Parker’s walk-off three-run homer in the seventh inning produced another “Sooner Magic” moment for OU.

It was a pitcher’s showdown between two of the nation’s elite pitchers in All-Americans Karlyn Pickens (25-11) of Tennessee and Landry.

Landry threw 139 total pitches, allowed eight hits, four walks, struck out two and surrendered just an earned run, while Pickens threw 129 total pitches, scattered five hits, struck out eight and walked four.